London. A Pilgrimage. By Gustave Doré and Blanchard Jerrold. London: Grant & Co. MDCCCLXXII (1872).
ONE OF THE MOST EXCELLENT OBTAINABLE EXAMPLES OF THE FIRST EDITION OF PERHAPS DORE'S MAGNUM OPUS: HIS FAMOUS ILLUSTRATED WORK ON LONDON WHICH VINCENT VAN GOGH CALLED "SUPERB"
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One of the finest illustrated works of London. In 1869, French artist Gustave Doré began an extraordinary collaboration with the British journalist Blanchard Jerrold. Together, over four years, they produced a landmark account of the deprivation and squalor of mid-Victorian London
Vincent Van Gogh remarked of the illustrations in this book: "The other day, I saw a complete set of Dore's pictures of London. I tell you it is superb, and noble in sentiment" (Malan, 281). "One can hardly deny that Doré is not merely one of the most popular but also one of the greatest of all illustrators… Perhaps Taine summed up Doré's appeal most eloquently: 'every imagination appeared languid in comparison with his. For energy, force, superabundance, originality, sparkle, and gloomy grandeur, I know only one equal to his that of Tintoretto" (Ray, 327-29)
"By 1872, Doré was the most popular artist in England, illustrator or painter. This work was eagerly awaited by the English public, having been postponed by the Franco-Prussian War… The idea was to match Doré's artistic genius with an in-depth view of all segments of London society the rich and the poor, the common people at work and play, famous sites and slums, nobility and criminals, Many were the days and nights that Doré went in disguise, with undercover policemen for protection, to see parts of London not listed in any tour guide… The result was a book often hailed as the greatest visual expression of the social class struggle ever published" (Malan, 127).
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Size: 315 x 415 x 48 mm (approx.)
Condition:
[(3), 8ff, i-xii, 191pp, i, (4), 54 plates throughout main text]
In excellent condition overall, shows very attractively indeed on the shelf. Brown half calf with gilt tooling in compartments separated by raised bands, titles tooled in gilt with a date in gilt at the foot of the spine. Joints near fine. Both boards securely attached. Slight shelf lean, but due to the size is best laid flat anyway. Page edges marbled. Spine near fine to fine. Minor shelf and edge wear, corners without deformity. A few superficial scratches to the front board. Without any attached bookplates or ownership inscriptions. Frontis a little ragged at leaf edge. Tissue guard of the plate to verso of pp.72 with a small amount of loss to the lower corner, else generally excellent throughout, minor occasional small stains but overall near fine. Collated as complete.
[MMSID 991260123804341; OCLC 890163328].
